Nearly five days after Saturday’s devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal, the American Red Cross continues to mobilize and provide support in South Asia and right here in Greater NY.

As our financial commitment to support this disaster continues to grow, additional American Red Cross resources are being deployed to help provide emergency humanitarian assistance following this catastrophic event. Efforts are part of a larger global Red Cross relief response, led by the Nepal Red Cross.

Eight American Red Cross disaster specialists are mobilized to support emergency relief, cash transfer programing, information management, recovery planning and IT/telecoms. The American Red Cross is also providing remote mapping and information management support and helping to reconnect separated families. Arrangements to send supplies from warehouses in Kuala Lumpar and Dubai, including non-food items such as tarps, buckets, kitchen sets and blankets, are in the works, although logistical transport remains a challenge.

While details of the impact continue to come in, the Nepal Red Cross, which has extensive experience in responding to natural disasters, is providing first aid, search and rescue, blood to medical facilities in the capital and support to first responders. Reports vary, but well over 4,000 people have been killed in Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh and at the Nepal-China border, with thousands more injured. Many are feared trapped under rubble and the number of casualties is expected to rise. Some eight million people have been affected by the quake. At least 20 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 5 to 6.7, caused further damage to buildings and increased the risk of collapse. Tremors were felt as far away as Lahore in Pakistan, Lhasa in Tibet, and in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Here in this region, our International Services team, along with Red Cross disaster mental-health volunteers have been working around the clock to provide resources to those in Greater NY worried about loved ones in Nepal. This includes information about the global Red Cross response, help connecting with missing loved ones via our “Family Links” website and additional support for those struggling with the emotional impact of this disaster.

Trained Red Cross volunteers are available via our local call center (877 733 2767) to provide these services. Additionally, Red Cross teams have been proactively reaching out to and meeting with local Nepalese businesses, faith-based groups and other community organizations representing this population in NY offering our support.